6 Tips To Keep Food Safe And Limit Waste

6 Tips To Keep Food Safe And Limit Waste

There are things you can do to make sure the food you’re eating during the COVID-19 pandemic is safe and to limit waste, experts say.

With most of the US under stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, people are stocking up on household essentials and groceries. Because of this, it’s vitally important to store and prepare food properly to ensure our safety.

“Proper food storage and preparation are important to reduce food waste and minimize the risk of illness,” says Nasser Yazdani, an assistant teaching professor in the public health department at the University of Missouri School of Health Professions.

Here, Yazdani offers six tips for staying healthy and minimizing food waste during COVID-19:


 Get The Latest By Email

Weekly Magazine Daily Inspiration

1. Sanitize all surfaces and utensils regularly

While the COVID-19 virus cannot grow on food, experts believe the virus can remain on hard surfaces such as plastic, steel, and other metals for up to three days (72 hours).

The CDC recommends cleaning surfaces with soap and water before disinfecting. The COVID-19 virus is an enveloped virus, meaning it is susceptible to environmental disinfectants.

Sanitize utensils in a diluted bleach solution or submerge them in water at temperatures of 160-170 degrees for 30 seconds. Many dishwashers have a “sanitize” setting that heats water to this temperature. If choosing to sanitize with bleach, mix one tablespoon of bleach with one gallon of water. After sanitizing, let the utensils air dry.

Important: When making homemade sanitizers, don’t mix bleach with ammonia as it can emit fumes that can be deadly.

2. Leave foods that don’t need refrigeration for 48-72 hours

Currently, there is no evidence of the novel coronavirus being transmitted through food packaging; however, letting items sit in the garage or car for three days will minimize the risk of transmission through hard surfaces.

Avoid buying cans that are sharply dented, especially around the seam. If cans are dropped and a sharp dent appears, make sure to consume them within the next 24 hours.

3. Wash unpeeled fresh fruits and vegetables with water

Rinse food thoroughly several times and be sure to keep washed and ready-to-eat items in a separate location from unwashed items, such as raw animal products.

When preparing food, use separate utensils to avoid cross contamination. Wash hands before and after eating peeled fruit, like a banana or orange. There is no reason to avoid eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

4. Consume ready-to-eat meals within seven days

Whether being prepared for the first time or reheated, food should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees for at least 15 seconds to kill any bacteria. If leftovers are not eaten all at once, reheat only the portion needed.

Be sure to keep leftovers and other ready-to-eat items, such as cooked chicken or beef, refrigerated at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler, and throw away any remaining reheated food.

5. Wash your hands

Scrub hands for at least 20 seconds, preferably with water 70 degrees or warmer before, during, and after preparing food.

This is important year-round, but especially critical when preparing foods for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or people with pre-existing conditions.

6. Understand expiration dates

In the case of stocking up on non-perishable foods, it is useful to understand expiration dates. The only expiration date that is federally mandated is one for baby formulas; however, the date represents how long maximum nutrition is guaranteed.

The US Department of Agriculture’s food product dating is voluntary and is unrelated to safety. Instead, “best by” dates represent a manufacturer’s best guess for how long the product will remain at its peak quality.

Source: University of Missouri

books_food

More By This Author

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES

English Afrikaans Arabic Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Danish Dutch Filipino Finnish French German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Malay Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese

follow InnerSelf on

facebook icontwitter iconyoutube iconinstagram iconpintrest iconrss icon

 Get The Latest By Email

Weekly Magazine Daily Inspiration

Wednesday, 05 May 2021 08:15

While our immune system and antibiotics both do a great job of helping us fight life-threatening infections, the emergence of antibiotic resistance is quickly making it more difficult to cure...

Wednesday, 21 April 2021 07:23

Whether it’s your arthritic relative who knows rain is on the way when their knees ache or your lifelong pal who gets a headache when a storm is approaching, we all know somebody who claims they...

Tuesday, 27 April 2021 08:56

Peas, lentils, chickpeas, beans and peanuts: if it comes in a pod then chances are it’s a legume. These unassuming food crops have a special ability that makes them fairly unique in the plant...

Saturday, 03 April 2021 08:08

Coffee, green tea and other caffeinated drinks are a popular way to start the morning. Not only does it give many people a much-needed boost, but caffeine can also help when it comes to fitness.

Saturday, 01 May 2021 08:12

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts have become popular in recent years for a number of reasons. They don’t require as much time as a regular workout (some can take as little as 10...

Thursday, 06 May 2021 00:51

Have you ever walked into an empty room and immediately sensed that the atmosphere was laced with tension? You may have had no idea what occurred there prior to your arrival, yet you somehow knew...

New Attitudes - New Possibilities

InnerSelf.comClimateImpactNews.com | InnerPower.net
MightyNatural.com | WholisticPolitics.com | InnerSelf Market
Copyright ©1985 - 2021 InnerSelf Publications. All Rights Reserved.